Your Well-Fed Reporter isn’t really sure what that means. He’s certainly no student of philosophy. His idea of a higher level of consciousness is what he experiences when a football game goes into overtime.

But recently he was hit smack in his substantial forehead by the simple notion that sometimes he needs to just pay attention.

Your dining correspondent was motoring down scenic Spring Hill Avenue the other day contemplating where he was to take his next meal on the company. His options were limitless, but he was still flummoxed.

Just as he was about to throw in the towel and get something from a drive-through, he spied an old standby. The legendary Roshell’s at 2904 Spring Hill Ave. stood like a dining beacon, a lighthouse in a storm.

WFR confesses to having a soft spot in his puny heart for joints like Roshell’s. He finds great comfort in the certainty of things, like Roshell’s burgers and hospitality.

And Roshell’s has certainly has a sense of tradition. It goes back to 1953, when Mack Flowers Sr. opened Mack’s Bar-Be-Que Drive Inn. It quickly became a hot place to be in the burgeoning suburb of Crichton. Roshell Flowers went to work in the family business in 1974, and she and husband Mack Flowers Jr. bought it outright in 1989 when the senior Flowers retired. Mack’s was rebranded Roshell’s and the couple still runs the joint to this day. Roshell said she didn’t see the need to fiddle too much with the formula.

“Oh we’ve added a few things, but mostly we’ve tried to keep it like it was when Mr. Mack ran it,” she said.

Good. That’s how WFR likes it — familiar and tasty.

On this particular sunny afternoon, WFR’s discontented dining partner Surly Companion was riding along. Jerry Medicus, Roshell’s brother-in-law, welcomed the pair at the front door; he gave them carte blanche to sit anywhere they liked. They chose a small table in the back room.

You will discover right quick that there is nothing fancy about Roshell’s. No pretense here, just good food served in copious quantities by very friendly servers.

Roshell’s Deli and Cafe

Address: 2904 Spring Hill Ave.

Phone: 251-479-4614

Hours: 11 a.m-8 p.m., Monday-Friday

Atmosphere: A diner with an attitude. It seats up to 75 with a large dining room in the rear. A long counter runs nigh the length of the front room.

Signature dishes: Some of the finest examples of the burger-making arts to be found in our part of the world, hand-patted and cooked up on the original griddle that dates back to the 1950s. They also do oysters the old-Mobile way (crispy and hot); in fact, all their fried seafood is done right. For something truly special, try a po-boy served on Gambino’s bread from New Orleans. Gumbo has recently been added to the menu.

In short: Roshell’s is a true neighborhood fixture where regulars come to eat with, well, regularity. The food is always plentiful and served promptly. For a special treat take a seat at the counter and watch owner Roshell Flowers tend to the griddle.

WFR had a pretty good idea what he wanted to eat before he sat down. This little corner of bliss has been making world-class burgers since, well, before WFR was born. They come in 13 different versions, everything from a garlic burger to a burger topped with Roquefort cheese. But on this day WFR had a hankering for the bell cow of their offerings — the ever popular Steer Burger. (In reality he ordered a Cheese Steer, but it’s the same burger just with cheese.)

Surly Companion, though, studied the menu for a few seconds before placing his order. He also studied the vintage wood paneling and the posters of marine life on the walls, rudely wondering aloud how many of those species had gone extinct since the art was hung. In an arc fairly typical of the Grumpy Gourmand’s thought processes, he went directly from making that observation to ordering the Jubilee Platter featuring fish, shrimp and oysters.

That quieted him down; while it wasn’t excessively huge, it was a big enough sampler to satisfy anyone and leave a few shrimp over for sharing. Did Surly observe that the seafood had been cooked fast in hot, clean oil? Yes, he did. Did he offer to share so much as a single juicy shrimp? No, he did not.

Not that WFR needed any additional food. His burger was thick and juicy, the slab of hand-patted beef spilled forth over the sides of the large bun, and it was piled high with lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. The whole thing was topped with a large dill pickle spear.

It was as he remembered. Very tasty and worth a trip all by itself. Roshell gives much of the credit to a certain critical piece of hardware, which dates back to Mr. Mack’s days. “I don’t add any seasoning to the meat before putting it on the grill. It’s all in the grill,” she said.

Roshell’s may be known for burgers, but among a certain segment of the clientele the fried oysters share top billing. “We do sell a lot of fried oysters,” she said. “We would have customers come in and try to order oysters right in the middle of the oil spill when we couldn’t get any,” she said.

“We’re getting them in now, though,” she said recently, adding that it’s not uncommon go through three gallons in a day or two.

Her hush puppies are also legendary in these parts. They are hand-made, stuffed with onions and jalapenos.

And while it’s tough to get past the burger portion of the menu, Roshell’s is also famous for their po-boys. One reason, Flowers said, is the bread. “We use Gambino’s bread from New Orleans. There is a difference in the bread,” she said.

The signature sandwiches are piled high with shrimp, oysters, roast beef — just about anything you could want. “If somebody comes in and asks for a fried fish po-boy, I’m sure we can make them one,” she said.

WFR will have to remember that. Just as he needs to remember that sometimes the best things in life are right under his nose.

Well-Fed Reporter visits Roshell'sThe Well-Fed Reporter gets fed very well at Roshell's Cafe and Deli, a dining landmark on Springhill Avenue in Mobile, Ala. Owner Roshell Flowers does the cooking as she gives a lesson in the fine art of hamburger preparation.